LAHORE: The Punjab governor on Tuesday directed all public sector universities to withdraw officers appointed on look after/additional charge of academic and administrative posts with immediate effect.
According to a letter written to the universities, the act of assignment of look after/additional charge of the posts of deans, registrars, treasurers and controllers of examinations is a clear violation of the provisions of the university charter.
The letter number SO(Univ)13-1/2017 – available with Daily Times – has been issued by the Higher Education Department universities section deputy secretary.
“It is informed that the governor/chancellor has made and observation on a summary that in a number of cases, additional charge for the posts of deans, registrars, treasurers and controller of examinations have been entrusted by the vice chancellors of different public sector universities without seeking approval of the appointing authority ie governor/chancellor or government as the case may be.”
The letter further stated that it the universities were informed that the assigning of additional/temporary charge of the above mentioned posts by the vice chancellors of the universities was a clear violation of the provisions of the charter of the university.
“I am, therefore, directed to request that this department may be intimated regarding assignment/ entrustment of such a charge by the vice chancellor, the reasons for assigning such charge in violation of the act of the university may also be intimated and such charge may be immediately withdrawn.”
There had been several complaints regarding assigning additional and look after charge without following merit. In this regard, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) had also barred public universities from following the practice, but no action was taken in this regard.
The public sector universities located in the provincial capital are: University of The Punjab, University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Government College University (GCU), Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), University of Education (UoE), University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Information Technology University (ITU) and two medical universities including University of Health Sciences (UHS) and King Edwards Medical University (KEMU). Many of these universities have appointed people on various academic and administrative posts after giving them look after/additional charge.
Talking to Daily Times on the condition of anonymity, a senior official at HED said that despite the notice, universities and vice chancellors had their own genuine reasons for appointing officials for look after or additional charge against several academic and administrative posts.
“Some of the major reasons are: non-availability of suitable people for these posts. For example, for the post of a dean, very few people meet the actual criteria mentioned by HEC,” he said, adding that in such conditions, vice chancellors had no other option but to appoint junior officers and assign them look after charge. “Similar is the case with additional charge that VCs grant to some faculty members against various posts because they cannot find a suitable person for the specific post,” he said.
The universities have been directed to follow the instruction issued to them by the chancellor.
Published in Daily Times, January 31st 2018.